fighting evil by moonlight
by puertoricanjane
Summary: In which Kenshin is Tuxedo Mask and Kaoru officially has the weirdest boyfriend in Japan.


Kaoru stared blankly at the rose that was being extended to her by Tuxedo Mask. She looked from the rose, to him, and then the rose again. She scratched at her cheek with the hand that wasn't gripping her bokken, feeling like something had gotten horribly lost in translation here.

"Um," she said, still staring at the rose like she was expecting it to turn into a vicious monster at any moment. After a moment of deliberation, she took it from him, making a face when she accidentally pricked her finger on one of the thorns. She remembered having to fight the sudden urge to laugh upon seeing this strangely dressed man throwing roses of all things. Now she almost pitied the men she hadn't already taken care of with her bokken. Almost. "Thanks?"

Tuxedo Mask's small, polite smile widened into something more genuine and he gave a graceful incline of his head. Kaoru didn't know how he managed it. He was in the most ridiculous get-up she had ever seen and he almost made it look normal, hell, elegant even.

"A token of my appreciation," he explained, "for your assistance against those evil-doers before."

Kaoru swung her bokken up to rest against her shoulder. "Right," she said slowly. She was confused as to why he was thanking her but chalked it up to another Tuxedo Mask thing she would never understand. "I really should be getting home though. Um, good luck with….whatever it is you do. Helping girls who get attacked on their way home from kendo practice?"

She shrugged and saluted him with the rose still dangling from her fingers. She was fully prepared to put this weirdness behind her and continue on her way home when his murmured, almost embarrassed-sounding words froze her in her tracks.

"I'm always glad to help in whatever way I can. But truthfully I wasn't needed at all. Kaoru had the situation under perfect control."

Kaoru whirled around with such ferocity that her ponytail ended up whipping Tuxedo Mask in the face. He let out a loud eep, clutching at his now red face, and there was something about the sound that was…..familiar. If she took the time to stop and wrack her brain she could've placed it within seconds, but right now all Kaoru could think about was how this complete stranger -a ridiculously dressed, crime-fighting one at that! - knew her name.

She let his token of appreciation flutter to the ground and deliberately stepped over it as she strode threateningly forward. Tuxedo Mask cringed, looking almost heart-broken at the harsh treatment of one of his beloved roses. She would've rolled her eyes but she was a little busy narrowing them dangerously.

"You have exactly five seconds to explain how you know my name," she bit out.

"Um, you told me?" Tuxedo Mask said sheepishly, jumping back before Kaoru could complete her swing at him. He was quick on his feet in that respect at least, although his lying skills left much to be desired.

"Try again," she said with false sweetness.

"Ah, would you believe it was a lucky guess? You just look like a Kaoru." He yelped when she tried to swing at him again, dodging and waving his hands wildly. "Okay, okay, I'll tell you!"

She brought her bokken back down to her side, raising an eyebrow when all he did was stand and fidget, looking for all the world like death would be preferable to whatever he was about to do.

"Well?" Kaoru snapped when he just kept staring helplessly at her. "In this lifetime please."

With a little sigh, Tuxedo Mask pulled off his top hat, shaking out his hair and revealing a very familiar red ponytail.

Kaoru stared. And stared. And stared some more.

"Kenshin!?"

Kenshin smiled weakly. "Hi, Kaoru."

X

After Kaoru had finished giving Kenshin the tongue lashing of a lifetime, the two of them went back to his place. Kenshin, thankfully, had changed out of his Tuxedo Mask gear and was now back in regular clothes. They were having tea and Kaoru could almost pretend everything was the same as always, except she couldn't get over the fact that her boyfriend apparently went out and threw roses at people in the time they didn't spend together.

She debated for half a second if this was some elaborate ploy to make it so they _did_ spend all their free time together but Kenshin wasn't nearly passive-aggressive for something like that. If he were she would've dumped him in seconds flat, before he could give her an adorably confused look and "oro?" his way out. But still; this was kind of a huge life development, one that he apparently hadn't deemed important enough to inform his girlfriend of.

"Roses, Kenshin?" Kaoru said incredulously, while Kenshin drank his tea with more calmness than he had any right to considering the circumstances. "Why roses?"

Kenshin blinked. "Do you not like roses, Kaoru?"

She scowled, his placid tone not fooling her one bit. She could see the amused gleam in his eyes and the smile he tried to hide by sipping at his tea again. She planted her hands on the table and leaned forward so that she was right in his face. Kenshin wasn't even trying to hide his smile now and she ignored the swell of warmth in her chest by telling herself that it was really quite irritating.

"You know kendo! Why don't you beat up criminals that way? What's up with the flower throwing and the corny speeches about justice?"

"You thought they were corny?" Kenshin asked, sounding disappointed, before brightening again. "You'll just have to help me write my next one then."

She stared and Kenshin stared back, beaming, like this was just another one of those weird couple activities he came up with for them to do sometimes, like going to a random field and making flower crowns for the other to wear.

Kaoru finally let out a cry, flopping down onto the floor and thinking that she officially had the weirdest boyfriend in Japan.


End file.
